Beyond the Stars
by Ace Star-Chaser
Summary: Most people, when thrown into another world, are met by a familiar face that they thought they'd never see in real life. Not so much for me. I was met by a hiltless sword, a petrified corpse, and no clue what was going on. Well, this'll be different... [Shadows of Valentia Self-Insert.]
1. Prologue: Welcome to Valentia

Once, there was a boy and a girl destined for greatness. But this is not the story of that boy and girl, though their story plays a part in this one.

Once, there was a man who was torn away from his purpose and everything he had ever loved and thrust into a new world entirely.

Once, there was another man who longed to know his purpose in life and yearned to move beyond wandering the earth.

Once, there was a woman who watched the incarnation of her faith die before her eyes, and wondered if she would ever know purpose again.

This is the story of the two men and the woman who were beaten down by the world itself and yet refused to fall. It is a story of despair and hope, of hatred and love, of the changing times and the desire of those three people to reach beyond the stars to forge their own path.

_I look up at the mountain set against the sky of dusk, a man and a woman standing to my left and right sides doing the same.-_

_A figure with red armor and darker red hair holds out a hand to me. I grab it, and he helps me up. My vision starts to clear, and the person's face is revealed to be a young man's as he asks, "What's your name?"-_

_A starry sky lies above me. I stare up at the unfamiliar heavens, wondering what secrets they hold.-_

_I took a cursory glance at the charm, pointing at it as I turned my head to face a young man with blue armor and green hair. "It's a dangerous thing, playing with forces like these."-_

_I slammed my hand down on a table, shouting at the same young man in the same blue armor. "This is something we have to do! Without that sword we're all fucking dead!"-_

"_I've been waiting for you-"_

_I'm standing in a dark cave, two people frozen behind me. In the impenetrable darkness before me, a pair of glowing, pure red eyes snap open, and glare at me. Then another, directly behind them. And a third, below the first two.-_

"_This is not your end.-"_

_I slam the white-hot blade into the sword of a hooded figure with purple fire burning around its hands as I snarl, "The future does not belong to you!"-_

My awakening was very different from most of those who went through what I did. I didn't wake up lying on a field of grass, with people standing over me, friendly and ready to greet me. I woke up on the cold stone to the sound of rushing water and deadly silence.

Now, I could tell you how I got to this point. I could tell you about the disorientation of suddenly being somewhere I distinctly remembered not being. I could tell you about the confusion of not knowing where I was. I could tell you about the fear of seeing the petrified corpse of a dragon with an ornate sword stuck in its head, or about the surprise when that sword rose out of the dragon's skull and the hilt shattered.

I couldn't tell you about what happened for a while after that. I found myself sitting against a tree, with a hiltless blade wrapped in the hoodie I'd taken off. I stared up at the night sky, unable to pick out so much as a single familiar star or constellation, and I fell asleep weeping. From fear or sorrow, I don't know. Maybe both. All I know is that I passed out, on my first night in another world, crying myself to the realm of dreams.

Welcome to Valentia, the dreams told me.


	2. The Promise

Rain.

_Of course it's raining,_ she thought, taking a moment to look behind her. None of the Rigelian soldiers seemed to have followed her, but the terrible storm together with the darkness of night kept her from being able to see nearly anything. She sighed, then jumped with an "Eep!" when her vision went white for a moment. The rolling sound of thunder helped to disorient her further, and she nearly fell over- but somebody caught her. She looked up with terror, her aqua-blue hair falling behind her in wet clumps, but couldn't make out the features of the face. But then, everything caught up to her, and then it all went black.

Silque woke up slowly. She could still hear the storm, but it wasn't on top of her anymore. Had the person who caught her brought her somewhere? _Was she captured?!_ Her breathing sped up, and she scrambled up- then banged her head on something. Looking up showed that it was a boulder- not too close to the ground, but enough that she had to lean against one of the walls to not bash her head again.

"Oh, you're awake?" A voice asked. Silque's head snapped towards the voice, with its owner crawling into the small alcove that she had woken up in. Behind him, she could see nothing but darkness and rain, but there was enough light to make out his face. Thin, messy hair, a sharp chin, and grey-blue eyes that immediately made her think of the storm outside. "Kamui's outside, trying to get some sticks that aren't wet," he spoke again. Silque realized that she hadn't responded to the first question, and swallowed hard.

"Who are you?" The simple question seemed to gain a strange reaction, as the boy- she realized it was a boy, not a fully-grown man- stilled for a moment. At length, he answered.

"My name is Isaac Politzer," he spoke hesitantly. "I was trying to find shelter when I ran into you, and then I tried to get you somewhere out of the rain when you passed out. Kamui found me and offered some help. Can I ask... what's your name?" Silque took a moment to look at him again- he looked… _sad._

"I'm… my name is Silque. I'm being trained as a priestess of the Mother Mila at-"

And then it all hit her at once. The blood, the screams, the stomping of boots. The Mother Mila, the man who stormed in, that terrible light. She couldn't help it, and broke down crying, her sobs ringing loudly into the night. "It's all gone…! The Mother, the priestesses…" At that thought, she went quiet for a moment, a single clear thought cutting through the fog in her mind. "I've lost… everything." And then the tears began again.

She felt Isaac move over to her as she continued to cry, sitting against the dirt wall next to her. "...so have I," he said, quietly. At that, Silque slowly let her tears stop falling, looking at the boy.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not even from this world. One moment I was sitting at home, and the next I was somewhere I didn't even think existed. Everything I know and love is lost to me." At that, Silque looked closer at him. He was curled up in a ball, clearly trying not to cry himself. She felt compassion welling up within her, telling her to _help him._ So she listened.

"We're the same, then. Shouldn't we stay together?" The words were shaky, but filled with all of the empathy she could muster. He clearly heard it, but didn't respond. She waited, she could do that. The rain wasn't going to stop, after all.

Eventually, she spoke again. "...why won't you answer me?" Silque looked to the boy-_Isaac_, she reminded herself, _his name is Isaac_. He looked up at that, and sighed.

"Silque- I'm sorry. So much has changed for me in the past few hours, and I'm trying so hard not to break down and cry. I'm in just as much pain as you… but if we stick together, maybe we can help each other?" He looked so sad, yet so hopeful. _If I was in his situation, I would be the same,_ she thought, and then nodded to herself.

"Alright then. Let's make a promise," she said.

"A promise?"

"Yeah. A promise. To help each other. Does that sound good?" Silque looked up at him, her cerulean eyes so full of compassion and empathy. Isaac paused for a moment, then smiled. He took in a breath a few times, as if trying to say something, but kept stopping. "What is it?" She asked, looking closer at him with concern. Isaac just held up a hand in the universal gesture for "give me a moment." At length, he spoke.

"I'm sorry- I'm just thinking of the right words to say. I'm worried they won't sound the way I plan them to mean. But if you'll wait around a while, and you'll stay with me, I promise. I promise you, I will. We'll help each other, and we'll learn to be okay again. You and me." Silque smiled at that, happy that her idea had been successful. Isaac held out a hand, and Silque took it, and they shook. And so the promise was made, and the first bonds of sworn siblingship were born.

**SO! Second chapter is here! I know I don't exactly have a schedule for this, but honestly this chapter was entirely written in under twelve hours and motivated by spite to prove a friend on Discord wrong. Keep in mind that this _is_ my first story, so please keep the flames to second-degree burns, thank you. Also, I'm part of a Discord server called the Fictendo Treehouse, come and join us! We have a lot of authors there who are happy to talk writing and fic with you! discord. gg/ 9XG3U7a**

**Comments are welcome, and I'll see you next time... whenever that is. -Ace Star-Chaser**


	3. Of Conversations and Clashes

**So. Chapter 3. I feel like I should explain something here, since I've never explicitly clarified- Isaac, Silque, and Kamui are going to be switching off for the role of PoV character. ^Isaac^ gets a chapter in first person, then ~Silque~ and [Kamui] get their own third person chapters. It won't stick to that strictly, and Isaac is still the main point of view, but Silque and Kamui will get their own times to shine as well. Occasionally I'll throw in somebody different to see what's happening outside the trio, but that's the general rule. Anyways, I don't want to keep you any longer- I'll see you at the end of the chapter!**

[Kamui]

Kamui didn't quite know why he was so attached to them. But by the time the storm had settled and morning came, he realized he had already formed bonds with the two. Isaac and Silque were just like him, he reflected- both of them were lost, not sure what their lot in life was. Just like he used to be… oh, who was he kidding, he was still like that.

It was interesting to see how similar and yet how different they were, though.

"Look, all I'm saying is that the rain is very enjoyable when you're not standing in it," Isaac put in. Silque tilted a hand from side to side and hummed noncommittally, but Kamui just stared in confusion.

"What do you mean? The rain's terrible. Either you're caught in it and get soaked, or you're stuck inside until it stops and have to work in the mud! Clear skies is always what you want," he shot back. "Good visibility, no worrying about terrain, the only time you want rain is when you need cover for a sneak attack."

"I mean, if you have a good book or some- oh, right…" Isaac cut himself off, turning from Kamui to the middle distance, "forgot not everybody can do that here…" He seemed lost in thought for a while. That was at least the third time he had done that since the conversation started. _What, was he a philosopher back where he came from or something?_ _Why is he always thinking so much? It'll get him killed in battle if he doesn't get that under control,_ Kamui thought, but didn't verbalize.

"Er, if I may…" Silque spoke up softly, filling the gap of conversation Isaac had left. "I never really minded the rain. We did have to worry about the pools in the Temple being flooded, though…" She seemed to grow more somber at the mention of the Temple.

"Wait, isn't the Temple the location of the eastern sluice gate? Wouldn't being flooded ruin the mechanisms?" Kamui asked. He didn't remember much about the sluice gates and their functionality, but he did know that their being ruined was categorized as a Very Bad Thing. Silque, though, shook her head.

"I'm not sure of all the details, but I do know that the Temple pools don't drain directly onto the sluice gate," she explained. "There's a separate area where the water goes to. From there, it's either held to be used to water the flowers, or drained down into the channel for the sluice gate." Huh. Who knew?

They had been travelling for a few days now, and by this point they were trudging through the northeastern Zofian badlands. The sand was harsh, but they were making good time towards the port as the sun began to sink towards the horizon. _Strange that we haven't encountered any pirates…_ Kamui thought to himself.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Isaac asked, pointing to a nearby dune. The question was immediately punctuated by the sounds of steel clashing against steel and yelling, and Kamui dragged his hand down his face. _Just _had _to jinx it…_

"Pirates, if I had to guess. Just our luck…" Kamui ground out. Isaac's expression darkened, while Silque was immediately terrified.

"P-pirates?! Oh, no! We have to get out of here!" Silque cried.

"If we lose sight of the markers along the path to the port, we may as well kiss life goodbye," Isaac reminded her. "Not to mention, they'll be after us anyways if they see us. Our only real options are to either double back and lose progress, or try and get past them while they're attacking whoever it is." He made good points. It seemed like there was a lot of action- it was possible they could slip through in the confusion.

"That's our plan, then," Kamui ordered.

"Wait, what?!" Silque was flabbergasted.

"I don't see any other options. I've dealt with pirates before- they talk big, but they'll run if they face any real resistance." Kamui drew his sword from its sheath, the weight comforting him and assuring him that he was making the right choice. "How much do either of you know about combat?"

"I've done a few unarmed practice fights back home, but that was a while ago. I can probably hold my own against one for a minute or so, assuming I get my hands on a weapon," Isaac put in. So he wasn't completely green. Good, even if it was limited by his lack of a weapon.

"I-I know how to use healing magic and Nosferatu, but…" _I've never actually used them in a combat situation,_ went unsaid but heard by all three. Kamui sighed.

"That'll have to do. Get ready. Stay close to me, both of you; Isaac, grab a weapon if you get the chance. Alright?" Both of his companions nodded, though Silque hesitated for a moment. Kamui returned the nod, and then looked back towards where the sounds were coming from. "Then let's go."

* * *

Kamui spied four pirates and a man with purple hair and an eyepatch dressed like a Myrmidon as the trio reached the top of a dune. They were obviously attacking a few merchants- there was an overturned wagon behind two or three people trying (badly) to fight off the pirates. Wait, was that an iron lance sticking up out of the sand a short distance down the hill?

Isaac grinned upon seeing the lance. "Jackpot. Let me grab that lance." Kamui nodded, and they quickly skidded down the dune, Silque close behind. Kamui saw Isaac grab the lance as he passed by out of the corner of his eye, but he was more focused on the myrmidon. Who was holding a Brave sword. _Crud._

The man had already turned to face them, and was pointing the Brave sword directly at Kamui, challenging him. It wasn't a challenge he could refuse. Two of the pirates broke off their attack on the merchants to face them as well. _Nothing for it, then…_ Kamui thought to himself, and then the fight began.

Kamui could hear Isaac's lance meet a pirate's axe with a loud _clang_ on his right, and on his left Silque's spell made contact to devastating effect. Good, they hadn't died yet- but he was much more focused on making sure _he_ didn't die to the myrmidon, who was currently slashing towards his right shoulder. He parried it out and down, then quickly flicked his own blade upwards towards the man's hip. This was met with a step back, and followed up with a stab aimed straight at his heart. Kamui took a step to the right and angled his body away from the blow, but he was only barely able to raise his blade in time to block when the thrust was changed into a slice across his chest.

No words were exchanged between the two. None were necessary. Their blades spoke for them. Kamui's trusty iron sword shouted that it would not let the other stop him, while its Brave counterpart chastised it for getting involved in what wasn't its business.

At length, both men heard a cry of "Rake, no!" which was quickly followed by "Forget this! I'm outta here!" Disengaging from the latest blade lock, the myrmidon looked up to see two of his pirates running away and a third lying on the ground, eyes rolled back in his head. The moment cost him, though, and Kamui took the opportunity as soon as he saw it. He swept his blade low, and it finally met flesh, rewarded with a grunt of pain from the other man. Blood leaked down from the back of his left knee as he looked at Kamui with both frustration and a strange respect. Before he could say anything, though, the final pirate threw down his axe, ran over, slung the myrmidon's left arm over his shoulders, and hobbled away as fast as he could.

Kamui closed his eyes (not that anyone could really tell) for a moment and let out a long breath as he dropped to his knees, spent from fighting so hard for so long. A cooling sensation covered him as the many scratches and cuts he had received closed, and he opened his eyes to smile at Silque. She merely smiled back, stating, "It actually worked. Consider me a skeptic no longer." Kamui's grin grew a little wider as she expressed her newfound trust in him, and then both of them paused as they heard a retching noise.

Isaac was hunched over and kneeling in the sand, the contents of his stomach in front of him. The lance he had grabbed laid next to him, blade covered in blood, and it was then that Kamui realized he must have been the one to kill the bandit that hadn't gotten away. He sighed, walking over to the boy and pulling him to his shaking feet. "I won't say it gets easier," he began, "but the way I see it: it's better that you're alive with blood on your hands, instead of being dead with none." Isaac nodded, still trembling, and Kamui sighed. "C'mon. Let's see if the merchants will take us to the port."

**And there's Chapter 3. Hopefully I did well for my first fight scene. I'm sorry about how long this took to get out, the beginning of the chapter was fighting against being written. But, as usual, the inspiration randomly struck, and here we are. I'm hoping to start posting chapters more regularly, since I didn't impose deadlines on myself for the first three chapters and look where that's gotten me. Anyways! We got a good look at the Isaac-Silque-Kamui trio just interacting, and an encounter with Deen (if you couldn't tell, yes, that was Deen) that somehow didn't end with somebody dying. Well, except for the bandit. Speaking of which, Isaac has now killed for the first time. Pretty sure three chapters is the longest amount of chapters between the beginning of an SI and said SI's first kill, but who knows. And now, an out of context quote from the Fictendo Treehouse server, from Howling Armadillo: "Fuse them all together into a super redneck. The Y'allfather." (Psst, come join us for more stupid/funny stuff like that: discord. gg/ 9XG3U7a ) Leave a review if you'd like, they give me unparalleled levels of serotonin.**

**Until next time, stay safe. -Ace Star-Chaser**


	4. Deep Breath

(Isaac)

"You guys ever wonder what happens when you interrupt a teleportation spell?"

"Augh!"

"Isaac, why would you ask that?"

I glanced over to an incredulous Kamui, who was staring at me from where he was sitting against a crate. "What? It's a valid question!"

Silque shook her head no, looking slightly sick. "N-no, it really isn't. W-when magic is interrupted or interfered with…" She shuddered, eyes wide. Kamui gave me a small glare, then moved over to wrap an arm around her.

"Look, I don't know what's taboo and what's not! I've only been here for a week! Come on, guys…" I groaned, and leaned backwards until I was lying flat on my back facing the stars.

It had been a few days since we met the merchants. They'd offered us gold and shelter to travel with them to Port Zofia, so naturally we'd accepted. We hadn't had any troubles with bandits since, thankfully.

Oh, yeah. Bandits.

I shuddered, trying not to think about it, but I couldn't keep it out of my mind. I killed a man. I stabbed him through the heart with a lance. I took a life. He'd charged at me, and I just dodged and pierced his heart without even thinking about it. I could still feel the blood, on the lance, on my hands, on-

"Isaac!"

"Bwuh!" I jolted in place, looking around until I saw Kamui staring at me with a half-raised eyebrow. "...I said all that out loud, didn't I." His snort only confirmed it, and I smacked my hand to my forehead. "Really need to work on that…"

"Yeah, you do." Kamui crouched down next to me. "Look, I know it wasn't easy. And I'll be honest, it doesn't get easier. But if you hadn't done that, it would have been you." I took a deep, shuddering breath, letting the palm slide off my face.

"I… I know. I just…" I trailed off. Kamui just put on a weary half-grin.

"I know. I've been there, too." He stood up. "So, we should arrive at Port Zofia in the next few days.. You said something about Castle Zofia?" Right. I had explained a bit to Silque and Kamui, about what might happen. Or, might not, now that the Kingsfang was broken… and wasn't that a bitch in and of itself.

"Yeah. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to get there and do something. Maybe… oh, I don't know. God, I'm a wreck." I let out a humorless chuckle. "How do you do it? Having your shit together, I mean." Kamui answered with his own laugh.

"Well, there's the thing. I don't, but nobody ever asks. They give the coin, I do the job." Man, that has to get lonely sometimes… "Lonely?" Did I seriously do it again? "...I guess so, yeah. But that's just life." Kamui shrugged.

Well, I can't say Valentia's been what I expected it to be. Then again, I didn't expect anything that had happened so far. I had no idea I'd even be sent to Valentia in the first place, wasn't even thinking when I stole the broken blade of the Kingsfang— and, yeah, that sure did happen. It hasn't been all bad, by any means, but suffice to say I'm just as confused as anybody else would be. Most of these stories have the person from Earth greeted by at least somebody. Chrom and his crew for Awakening, Corrin for Fates- you'd think I would be worth a greeting, but nope. All I got was a thunderstorm, a petrified dragon's corpse, and a sword without a hilt. Welcome to Valentia, have fun.

I can say with complete confidence, though, that I never expected for the first two people I ran into to be Kamui and Silque. Well, technically I came across Silque passed out on the ground, and then Kamui came across us and decided it was worth it to get us away from the Rigelian soldiers rather than just leave us, but still.

When I first heard him stumbling on a root nearby where I had just found Silque passed out in the dirt, I had thought he was a Rigelian soldier. When we made eye contact, and I saw his sword, I thought we were dead, that my adventures in Valentia (heh) had ended less than an hour after they began.

Instead, he'd blinked, then made a "follow me" motion and started moving into the forest. Of course, by this point the rain had convinced me that it wasn't a dream, but all I could do was lift Silque as best I could and follow. We found a cave, sat down inside, and started talking.

He'd said he didn't often help people out if there wasn't a reward involved. I said that that was fair, and then asked why he'd done it for us, then. I… didn't expect the response. He'd explained that he had seen something familiar in my eyes— the look of someone who had just lost everything. Something he knew the feeling of, far too well.

He hadn't elaborated beyond that, but I think I understood.

Honestly, the game hadn't said much about Kamui and Silque. They'd certainly never interacted as far as I knew, and they didn't have much in the way of background details. But now they were here. Real. I was in Valentia. With the hiltless, currently-useless blade of the Kingsfang, and with people who I had only known as characters on the other side of a little screen. Characters that I honestly hadn't paid much attention to, since neither did the developers or the community. And… I found myself bonding with them. Cracking jokes and sharing bits and pieces of our pasts, becoming friends. They had accepted my insane story about coming from another world. I was so happy to be with them instead of on my own. But…

I missed home.

I missed my parents. I missed my dogs. I missed my friends, and my cousins, and my sister, who I'd never be able to mend my relationship with now. It was overwhelming at times.

And there was also the issue of the blade I was currently holding. The mighty Falchion, one of the fangs of Naga, and it had been broken. The hilt was gone, and where the base of the blade should have been was jagged and missing a few chunks of metal. It wouldn't cut anyone, as I'd found, but of course it wouldn't. The Falchion only works for the people who are worthy of it, and carry Naga's blessing, and I am neither.

I needed to find a way to fix it. Even if the blade itself is intact, what's the point (heh) of having it if it can't be used as a sword?

And if the Falchion was unusable…

Celica will lose her soul to Duma. Duma won't be killed. He'll take over all of Valentia, and then-

Oh, shit.

Grima. Nobody knows for certain how it was sealed the first time, but Shadows of Valentia had it as the bonus boss, in Thabes. But that was after the main game, which meant that Duma was dead-

If I don't get this thing fixed, everything is screwed. Duma won't die, Grima will be free to roam from Thabes, and everything I know about the future beyond Valentia will never happen.

Which is a serious problem, because all the merchants I talked to took one look at the blade and told me they didn't know any blacksmith who could fix it.

What do I do?!

—(The next day)—

"...so by this point, the other guys scattered. We're on our own, holding a Dagon's head and one sword between the four of us, staring down a bear. And Jesse just turns to me, and you know what he says?" Kamui pauses the story, looking between Silque and I.

"...alright, I'll bite. What?" I asked.

Kamui just grins, then imitates Jesse's voice. "'I told you we should have taken the other boat!'"

I broke out into laughter, cackling as I threw my head back. Silque was giggling as well, and Kamui's grin stayed in place for a while. Eventually, I composed myself, looking back at Kamui. "That's… oh, that's great."

Kamui nodded. "Wasn't very funny at the time, though."

"Yeah, I can see that," I agreed. We had been swapping stories for a while, telling jokes and sharing bits and pieces of our lives. It was… happy. I hadn't had many people who I could talk to like this before. I had been pretty lonely, talking more to people online than out loud. Sure, I missed everyone, but...

Maybe… maybe I can make this a new start.

—(No POV)—

A figure entered the darkened cavern, speaking to a second figure. "Lord Jedah, I have returned."

"Hades." Jedah greeted the figure, turning to face him. "Has our plan borne fruit?"

Hades nodded, bowing. "Yes. The accursed Mila lies petrified."

"Good. Soon, Lord Duma will be the sole ruler of Valentia!" Jedah cackled, raising his hands high.

"Lord Jedah, there is something else to report," Hades spoke up, looking… nervous? Jedah hadn't realized the emotion still existed within Hades.

"Hm?" Jedah lowered his hands, glaring at Hades.

"The Falchion was damaged in the battle," Hades explained. Jedah was surprised for a moment, but then schooled his features into indifference.

"...oh? How so?"

"Its hilt was broken, High Priest."

A chilling, humorless smile. "I see… all the better. What was done with the remains?"

"...there was a blinding light when it was broken. By the time my vision had returned to me, it was gone."

Jedah's face changed again, from a smile to a frown. "Hmm… then we must plan for its potential reforging. Send word to the strongholds, inform them that they must be on the lookout for it. That aside, we shall proceed with the original plan."

"Yes, High Priest." Hades bowed.

"Dismissed." Jedah turned back to the huge shadow, and began cackling.

—

**So! I'm a bit late with this one. Sorry about that. This chapter fought me the whole time I was writing it. Got it done, though! Special thanks to Cavik for doing a quick beta read of this chapter for me. I didn't expect it to be so difficult to get into my own self-insert's head. Review if you'd like, it's like crack to me. Please join the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord server! We have a lot of people writing a lot of different, fantastic works, and we love having new people join in. discord. gg/ 9XG3U7a (remove the spaces)**

**Here's an out-of-context quote from DestructionDragon360: "one more body to get telefragged by witches, no thanks"**

**That's all for now, folks. Hope you enjoyed the breather... 'cuz next time, we're getting started for real.**


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